


Couldn't let you Pass By

by Everybody_Loves_Chocolate



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bonding, Cheating, Confessions, Crush at First Sight, Dialogue Heavy, Established Huang Ren Jun/Liu Yang Yang, Established Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Friendship, Getting Together, Kinda, Kissing, Lee Jeno-centric, Light Angst, M/M, Mentioned Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun, Mentioned Park Jisung (NCT), Mentioned Zhong Chen Le, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Party, Past Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno, Pet Names, Pining, Plans, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Swearing, Time Skips, a lil bit of - Freeform, but not from our boys, fluff at the end, it feels like it is, like; very very very light
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:47:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28697913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everybody_Loves_Chocolate/pseuds/Everybody_Loves_Chocolate
Summary: Jeno was not enjoying the party Donghyuck had dragged him to. Seeing a chance in going to comfort a man he had never seen before to escape said party, Jeno did just that, hurrying after the man, up the stairs and asking whether he could help.Jeno would never have thought that encounter to be of such significance to him later on.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Liu Yang Yang, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 60





	Couldn't let you Pass By

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be 2k but as you can see, it's a LITTLE more than that. I just used this fic to procrastinate finishing the chapter for my other fic but it's still pretty good, I think. It took way longer to write than I had thought it would but since I added a lot more detail it's no surprise.
> 
> Nonetheless,  
> I hope you enjoy!

It was loud and crowded and Jeno didn't know why he had promised Donghyuck to stay for at least two hours. Both of them knew Jeno wasn't a party person and none of their friends even stuck to him, resulting in Jeno sitting on a random couch in a random house at a random party, all alone.

Donghyuck had scurried off to somewhere he had been sure he'd seen Mark, Renjun was mingling with the Chinese upperclassmen and Yangyang wasn't any better since Jeno was pretty sure he was hearing the younger chant something in Chinese in the next room. Shotaro for one, had been smart enough to a) be cute and innocent and b) pull the foreigner card that Jeno didn't have.

When Donghyuck had asked him if he'd wanted to accompany them, Shotaro had declined while smiling, saying that he still had a lot to study, not just for university but also for the Korean language in general so he'd been let of the hook.

Sighing, Jeno leaned back, taking a swig of the concoction he'd been handed by everyone's love of the campus, Dong Sicheng. Jeno didn't really know him that well but since his brother was friends with him, they had hung out sometimes out of obligation towards Jaehyun. Sicheng had apparently seen how miserable Jeno had been and had invited him to the kitchen to personally mix him something.

When Jeno had been younger, he'd always thought people couldn't actually be as famous in university as they were always portrayed to be in the dramas but it turned out he was wrong. For reasons that had a lot to do with his dance skill and just as much with his unique charm, Sicheng was arguably the most fawned over man at their university. And really, Jeno was only a little bit of an exception for that. Since he was kinda friends with Sicheng and he'd known him a little longer, the mysterious air around the elder that the others seemed to be so attracted to was simply non-existant for Jeno. He just saw a regular stressed university student who tried so hard to hold it together and not snap at everyone around him.

However, because of that Sicheng had been held up at the kitchen, leaving Jeno to his own devices which led him to his situation now.

Maybe Jeno should go and seek out his friends or maybe even his brother but he didn't know if he'd be any more welcome there either. If Donghyuck had found Mark, the two of them were probably shoving their tongues down each other's throats which already made Jeno shiver as he thought about it. He supported them wholeheartedly, he truly did, but he would also appreciate it if they could keep the PDA to a minimum.

Renjun wasn't an option to seek out since Jeno's Chinese was very limited and he knew Renjun preferred to speak it when he was with the upperclassmen since it made him feel more at ease. Yangyang was most probably playing beer pong if the loud exclamations were any indication and Jeno just did not like that game.

And so he decided to just spend the remaining time on the couch, hoping that no one was going to talk to him if they weren't his friends or sober. The sober part seemed impossible as every single person that was in the same room as Jeno seemed to not be able to even stand straight or comprehend what personal space was. It was already a miracle that Jeno was sitting on the couch alone and nobody had tried to sit down with him yet.

Sighing and taking another sip from his glass, Jeno glanced at his wristwatch, barely making out that he'd been at this party for about half an hour, too little time in Jeno's opinion. This party was boring as it was and not wanting to be here was definitely not helping to alleviate Jeno's mood.

He leaned back, keeping his eyes on the room in the hopes of spotting someone he knew so that he wouldn't rot away on this couch, all alone, bored to death. 

Though Jeno didn't see anyone he knew, he did see a man, maybe Jeno's age, push through the crowd and up the stairs. His face was a bit hard to make out but he definitely didn't look happy as his hands wiped at his face. 

Jeno being Jeno obviously couldn't just let it be and pretend like he never saw anything, getting up from the couch and taking his drink with him just in case. Going up the stairs, Jeno wondered how he was supposed to find the other but that question was easily solved as Jeno noticed that there was no one else up here and a door on his far right just slammed shut.

Carefully, Jeno stepped closer, softly knocking on the door before waiting for an answer. He knew it was kind of weird to approach a stranger at a time that's seemingly distressing for them but he couldn't just not do anything.

When Jeno didn't get an answer, he knocked again, asking, “Excuse me, I don't wanna intrude but can I come in?”

Pressing his ear to the door, hoping for an answer this time, Jeno stood for a while. The sounds from party downstairs were a bit muffled but still loud enough to make it hard to hear any softer sounds upstairs. 

“Yeah, come in, who cares anyways,” came from inside the room and Jeno carefully opened the door, stepping into the darkness. The only lightsource was the light from the hallway but Jeno didn't dare to leave the door open so he closed it again after catching a glimpse of the man on a bed, curled in on himself with his face on his knees. Closing the door with a soft click, Jeno maneuvered toward the bed and hoped his eyes would get used to the darkness soon.

“Hey,” he started, facing in the general direction he supposed the other was when he was positioned in front of the bed. He crouched down, setting his drink down beside him and hoping not to trip over it later. “I'm not gonna ask you if you're okay because you're obviously not but I'm worried. I know we don't really know each other and it's weird to talk to some random stranger in a situation like this but when I saw you run up the stairs I couldn't just sit still.”

Jeno played with his fingers, unsure of what to do with his hands. When he comforted his friends, he'd touch them gently, maybe caress their cheek or card his hand through their hair but he didn't know this person and it would thus probably be creepy as shit.

“Um, what's wrong? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, obviously. We can just sit here if that makes you feel better. I could also leave if you want me to, I don't want you to be uncomfortable. It's just, I was worried and I'm not really a party person anyways so this is kind of a good excuse to not be down there. I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, I can leave- oh, I already said that. Um, anyways, if you don't want to tell me what happened, I'm totally fine with it. Also, if you could stop me from rambling that would be nice, you're not going to enjoy a little silence otherwise-”

“My boyfriend is cheating on me. Well, I guess he's my ex-boyfriend now.”

That shut Jeno up, alright. The other was now a recognizable shape as Jeno's eyes had adjusted just a little, allowing him to see that he lifted his head, looking right at Jeno. Or at least he supposed so.

“I... 'I'm sorry' is the wrong thing to say but 'my condolences' probably wouldn't be better either,” Jeno said, eliciting a small amused huff from the man in front of him. “So you found out he's cheating on you and that's why you're here?”

The man nodded, answering, “Yeah, but he's a dick anyways and I kinda knew it already. I just wasn't sure and, I don't know, maybe I had kinda hoped he didn't actually.” The man scoffed and Jeno's eyes had adjusted enough to see him rolling his eyes. “If anything, I was probably the one he was cheating with. Never once after we got together did he do anything sweet for me. I actually got the impression he only used me for my body, that bastard. The other person he was feeling up wasn't even a man! He never expressed any interest in any men other than me but sometimes he would make comments about women's bodies. I thought it was because he's bi or something but it turns out he's just an asshole. Maybe it's his kink to be on the receiving end, the bastard.”

This time it was Jeno's turn to huff a laugh, holding his hand out towards the other, introducing himself, “I think before you tell me the story of your life we should get to know each other better. My name's Lee Jeno, I attend K university which might've been obvious considering how my friend told me this party was only for people of K university.”

The man smiled and took Jeno's hand. It was warm and soft and Jeno felt honestly bad for thinking, _Such a hand touched a cheating asshole._

“I'm Na Jaemin. Sorry for dumping this on you, I got carried away,” Jaemin apologized as he retracted his hand but Jeno only shook his head.

“It's alright, you had to get it out some way or another and I asked so I don't really mind. Could we turn on the lights though? The darkness is preventing me from seeing the person I'm going to spend the rest of my life with clearly.”

Jaemin laughed, unfolding his body as Jeno got up, thankfully remembering his drink before anything could happen, stepping over it in the last possible second. As he searched for the switch on the wall, Jaemin shuffled around on the bed, squeaking when Jeno finally turned on the light.

When Jeno turned around, he found Jaemin leaning back against the headrest of the bed, legs stretched out and hands covering his eyes. Jeno chuckled, moving to sit down next to Jaemin, making himself comfortable with his drink in hand.

“Do you drink?” he asked as Jaemin slowly peeled his hands away from his face. Jaemin scoffed, raking a hand through his hair. Maybe Jeno shouldn't be thinking like this about someone who just lost his boyfriend, but he couldn't help noticing Jaemin's soft hair and the way its eccentric blue colour underlined the handsomeness of his face.

“You think there's anyone here that doesn't?”

Jaemin took the offered drink without another word, chugging it, not even bothering to ask what it was. Jeno huffed, taking in Jaemin's puffed eyes and pink cheeks. He'd been crying but he seemed fine now, shaking himself as he set the glass down, tilting his head back with closed eyes.

“How old are you, Jeno? What's your major?” Jaemin asked, surprisingly taking interest in Jeno. His voice was quite pretty if Jeno had any say in it.

“I'm twenty-two. I'm majoring in architecture and have a minor in design.”

“Mh, that's pretty cool. We're the same age so do you wanna be casual with each other? I'm majoring in theatre studies so it's really not a surprise we've never seen each other. It would've been next to a miracle.”

Jeno hummed. Jaemin was pretty extroverted from what Jeno could tell and he appreciated the offer that was basically friendship so he replied, “Sure, we can be casual. If we aren't gonna be friends after this, then I don't know when we would be.” 

Jaemin chuckled, a grin staying on his lips.

“By the way, I dumped the fact that I had a boyfriend on you out of the blue but you seem pretty chill with it. Honestly disappointed in myself potentially outing myself to a stranger,” he said, eyes still closed. Jeno hummed, playing with his fingers again, distracted by the way Jaemin's eyelashes fanned against his cheek, way longer and pretty than Jeno was used to.

“It's fine, really. What kind of person would I be if I was -I assume homophobic?- when I'm bi myself and literally none of my friends are straight. I doubt my brother's straight either if I'm being honest here. But really, who's actually still straight in this day and age.”

Jaemin snorted, opening his eyes to look at Jeno. It was only then that Jeno noticed the make-up Jaemin was wearing, the pink glitter on his eyelids, the eyeliner accentuating the shape of his face. Oh god, Jeno was fucked and he'd only known Jaemin for maybe five minutes.

“So you're bi, huh? You were right with your assumption, I'm gay, women just don't do it for me. Why're you at a party, by the way, if you're not one to enjoy them?” Jaemin asked, pulling his legs up to his chest, his cheek squishing against his knees as he continued to keep his eyes on Jeno, smiling. Jeno pursed his lips and opened his mouth to answer but before he could, the door flew open and in stumbled two way too familiar figures.

Mark's hands were somewhere under Donghyuck's leather jacket, Donghyuck's in Mark's hair. Neither of them noticed that the room was occupied already, eyes closed and too busy sucking each other's faces to see anyone else.

Jeno sighed, getting up before the two could fall onto the bed and consequently on him and Jaemin.

“If you guys could keep it together long enough to do it at Mark hyung's place, I'm sure the owner of this house would appreciate it very much,” he said, hands on his hips as the couple finally realized that they weren't alone. They detached their lips but kept their bodies close, Donghyuck turning just enough to spot Jeno, not even looking ashamed.

“Ah, my baby boy,” Donghyuck grinned, causing Mark to pout and pull him closer, not that Jeno had thought that to be possible. “You enjoying yourself?” Donghyuck's eyes wandered over to Jaemin, who was still sitting on the bed. “Were you planning on telling me about him or was this supposed to be a secret?”

Jeno groaned, massaging his temples. Before he could tell Donghyuck to fuck off and keep it in his pants when he was at someone else's house next time, Jaemin spoke up.

“Are you guys in an open relationship or something? As far as I'm concerned, you're the one doing something right now.”

It was silent for a second and then Donghyuck broke out into laughter while Jeno pressed his lips into a tight line. Mark just looked confused like someone hadn't just completely misunderstood ever single relationship between the three of them.

As Jeno turned to look, Jaemin had a frown on his face, standing next to the bed now. He took a few steps towards Jeno, placing a hand on his elbow as Donghyuck kept on laughing, freeing himself from Mark, still holding his boyfriend's hand.

“No, no. No need to worry, Jeno's just a friend. Mark hyung over here is my boyfriend, not an open relationship if you wanna know. I was just joking, no need to be so serious, sorry if I struck a nerve, I didn't intend to,” Donghyuck apologized, surprisingly serious. Jaemin hummed but didn't let go of Jeno, if anything, his grip slightly tightened. Jeno didn't know how to feel about this situation but Mark, poor clueless Mark, single handedly saved everyone by tilting his head and asking, “Hey, you guys, this might not be the time but I'm pretty sure someone was looking for a boy with blue hair when we got up here. And, well,” he pointed to Jaemin, “you've got blue hair. It seemed pretty serious.”

“Was it a man?”

Mark shrugged, seemingly trying hard to remember before he answered, “I think so, yeah. Voice was pretty low, a little rough around the edges. He asked if anyone had seen 'a boy with blue hair, great body'. Now that I think about it, it was pretty degrading.”

“Jeno,” Jaemin growled. “No offense but I'm going to use you for a bit.”

Before anyone could say anything, Jeno was being dragged out of the room by Jaemin, past Donghyuck and Mark and down the stairs.

“Wait, wait, wait, Jaemin. What're you gonna do? Jaemin!”

Jaemin stopped short, his jaw obviously working, clenching and unchlenching, even as Jeno stayed behind him. The grip on his arm was bruising now but Jeno didn't dare to get emotional so he gently laid a hand on Jaemin's, trying to calm him down.

“What are you going to do, Jaemin? I'm not saying I'm not going to help you but at least tell me before you do anything,” he mumbled to the other, stepping closer to him as the sound of the party were as loud as before. “You shouldn't be acting purely on anger without thinking it through.”

Jaemin took a few deep breaths and loosend his grip, his hand ultimately falling back to his side. He curled und uncurled his fists before turning around slowly to look at Jeno.

“You're right. You're right, of course. Still, that goddamn asshole-” Jaemin grit his teeth, taking a breath again before continuing, “That bastard still had the audacity to look for me, describe me in a degrading way, trick me even more after fucking cheating on me. So why shouldn't I play a trick on him too, dump his ass, find the woman he oh so happily fondled and let her dump him too?”

Jeno nodded. He understood Jaemin's rage and his plan wasn't even that bad but there was still something that he couldn't get into his head.

“What would you need me for then?”

Jaemin glanced at the people around them, then at Jeno again. His face was unreadable, in the first place, Jeno didn't even know how Jaemin wanted to find the woman. It hadn't sounded like he'd seen too much of her before and this party wasn't exactly short of people.

“Jeno,” Jaemin began, eyes steady on Jeno's. “I'm going to find the woman, tell her she's being cheated on or is being cheated with. If or when she doesn't believe me, I'll tell her that I'll show her. I'll find the bastard of an ex-boyfriend and this is where you come in. You and I, we're gonna be all lovey-dovey in front of him and, knowing him, he's gonna explode. He'll probably yell about how I'm a whore anyways and don't deserve someone like him. No matter how loud it is here, she'll hear because he's even louder and she's not gonna be far away. The wrath of someone who got cheated on is not something to underestimate.”

To be completely honest, Jeno was slightly astonished by the detail in Jaemin's plan. It hadn't been a minute since he'd heard about his ex searching for him and yet he'd come up with something like this. Jeno couldn't speak from experience since he'd been in a total of three relationships and they had all ended rather peacefully, if his current relationship with Donghyuck was any indication.

“All right, I get that you've planned this all out and, sure, I'll help you but how are you gonna find that woman?”

Maybe Jeno shouldn't be this supportive of a man he'd met this evening but Jaemin was somehow an exception to Jeno's usual behaviour. He was easy to trust and easy to like and he only wanted justice and if Jeno listened to himself for just a second, he would know that Jaemin was the crush he'd been hoping to get to know ever since he'd seen his first drama that played in university.

Jeno cursed himself, unable to take his eyes off of Jaemin as he explained, “It's not gonna be hard, she was wearing a glaring pink blouse paired with white shorts. Her hair was in an updo, fake blond judging from the dark roots. Lighter skin.”

Jaemin grinned, taking ahold of Jeno's hand and turning again, pulling Jeno along.

“I don't think there's gonna be a lot of people with that combo.”

Jeno huffed an unbelieving laugh, following after Jaemin who pushed through the crowd with purpose. 

He didn't expect them to find the woman as fast as they did.

She was lounging on a couch, surrounded by a few people Jeno actually knew. They shared a few of his classes, though he'd never seen the woman before. She looked happy, a wide smile on her face as she joked with the others, hands clasped together.

“There she is,” Jaemin breathed, squeezing Jeno's hand before letting go and trudging over to her. Jeno was socially aware enough not to follow him, though he did keep an eye on the two. It was too loud hear what they were talking about but if the way the woman's face was contorting was any indication, she was either enraged because Jaemin dared to accuse her boyfriend of something like cheating or because she actually believed it.

Not too long after, the two of them went back towards Jeno, the woman following Jaemin with her arms crossed.

“This is Choi Kwan, she's been together with a certain man for three years now. It's been four months for me,” Jaemin introduced her to Jeno before turning and looking at Kwan. “And this right here is Lee Jeno. We've become friends only recently but he's very reliable. I know you already believe me but for solid prove and just because I hate him, how about we show the cheater not to live in such a way?”

Kwan nodded resolutely, face complete stone. She sure was beautiful, holding her head high and her posture straight as she told Jaemin where she had last seen their mutual ex. Jaemin nodded and grabbed Jeno's hand again.

“So, Kwan-ssi,” Jeno began, blindly following Jaemin and deciding to talk with Kwan, “no offense but did you already kinda know about this?”

Again, Kwan nodded, sighing. She flexed her fingers at her side and replied, “Hyunsik was very sweet in the beginning, very devoted. About a year back, he's been visiting me less frequently with the excuse of university, friends, whatever came to mind. At first, I didn't expect anything, at the time he'd been in an important year filled with lots of exams and extra study but over time, it became clear that wasn't everything he was doing. I'm also to blame but I enjoy being in relationships and because of that, I stayed with him. Since I never had any solid proof, I was hoping it to be false but as you can see, I wasn't.”

Jeno nodded, about to reply when Jaemin suddenly stopped, causing Jeno to bump into him.

“There he is,” he whispered, leaning back with his back pressed to Jeno's chest. “Kwan-ssi, if you would position yourself somewhere nearby. We're going to deliver him the show of his lifetime.”

Kwan agreed, nodding before going over to the pool table that was stationed in the room. It seemed like Hyunsik was still asking where Jaemin was, intently talking with some people.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jeno was pretty sure he made out a familiar form but before he could turn and make sure of it, Jaemin had his hands on his hips, chest to chest now as he mumbled into Jeno's ear, “The plan goes as follows. You and I are going to be close to each other, hands wherever we want them to be. We'll have to gamble a bit in terms of where that bastard will be looking but I'm confident it's going to work out. I'll have you against the wall so that he can see my hair and clothes, it would be better to make it seem like we're kissing. As I said, he'll explode. That'll attract the attention of the others and that's when Kwan-ssi steps in, accusing him of cheating on her with me because of his reaction. It'll not only damage his reputation, if only a little, but it'll bruise his ego, especially since he cheated with a man and not another woman.”

“Okay, let's do it then,” Jeno said taking sure steps towards the wall nearest to the cheating ex boyfriend, though his heart was running a marathon in his chest.

Even if they were only pretending, it would require Jaemin to be close to him, touch him, really sell that they were getting it on. Jeno could already feel a blush spread on his cheeks.

“Are you really okay with this?” Jaemin asked once Jeno's back was to the wall, pressing close, chest against chest. Hoping Jaemin wouldn't feel his heart beat way faster than it was supposed to, Jeno only nodded, not trusting his voice not to betray him. 

Jaemin presented Jeno with an encouraging smile, his hand coming up to card through Jeno's hair. It was gentle and soft and the way Jaemin was looking at him made Jeno's knees weak. He didn't have to look at him with those honey eyes to make it seem like they were making out, goddamnit.

Jeno took a deep breath, deciding he should just go with the flow like he normally did, pretend this didn't effect him as much as it did. And so, his hands found their place on the small of Jaemin's back, arms winding around his waist. It was the most comfortable and natural pose Jeno could assume in this situation but he hadn't been prepared for Jaemin to lean in, the tip of his nose almost touching Jeno's cheek, lips dangerously close.

“Is this still okay?” Jaemin whispered, only receiving a low rumble in response, chuckling at Jeno's inability to answer. “Turn your head a bit, let our noses touch, it'll seem more real.”

Jeno complied with little hesitation, tilting his head back slightly before turning it just enough for his and Jaemin's noses to touch just a little, Jaemin's breath ghosting over Jeno's skin. They were so close to each other, Jeno could smell Jaemin's perfume. It wasn't overly sweet though it was definitely a woman's.

Jeno's breath hitched as he recognized the scent. When he'd gone shopping with his last girlfriend, she had asked him what his favourite perfume was, wanting him to test them and tell her his answer. Well, ultimately she hadn't picked what he liked best but it was definitely the one Jaemin was wearing. There was a little bit of a herbal note to it which was why Jeno liked it so so so much.

Jeno let one hand caress up Jaemin's back, coming to a stop on his shoulder blade.

“Are you sure he's going to see us?” he murmured, trying really hard to keep his eyes level and not to glance down at Jaemin's lips.

“Yeah, I-”

“Na Jaemin, what the fuck do you think you're doing?!”

Jaemin grinned at Jeno, a gesture he could basically feel, before turning to the side, his hands still on Jeno, not unlike Donghyuck and Mark had been earlier.

Hyunsik was storming over to them, completely losing all rationality as Jaemin had promised. 

The party was still loud, obviously, since no one had turned the music down and Hyunsik hadn't been loud enough for the people in the next room to hear but it was evident that a lot in this room did. Several heads turned and conversations seized as Hyunsik stood in front of Jaemin and Jeno, fuming.

Jaemin seemed unimpressed, raising an eyebrow as he asked, ”What seems to be the problem, Kim Hyunsik-ssi?”

Hyunsik gaped, huffing as he apparently had to get back into being angry. His brows furrowed, his fists curled, eyes blazing. Just to be sure, Jeno pulled Jaemin closer to him and to the side, further away from the raging man in front of them.

Said man went red with anger as he exclaimed, “You're a whore! A slut is what you are! How dare you touch others when-”

“When you've done the same?” Kwan insterted herself into the situation, eyebrows raised, hands on her hips. Jeno had to fight the urge to loudly go _oooooooooohhhh!_

Surprise and slight horror painted Hyunsik's face as his eyes jumped between Jaemin and Kwan. It was only then that he apparently noticed he had just outed himself of sleeping with a man when he was dating a woman to a whole room full of people, all the colour draining from his face.

“Kwan-ah, I can explain. Let me explain myself,” Hyunsik begged but even he seemed to know that he fucked up majorly. Kwan just scoffed and rolled her eyes. Jeno really liked her because she just seemed so chill and like she knew what she wanted.

She grabbed Hyunsik by the arm and redirected her eyes to Jeno and Jaemin shortly to say, “Thanks, guys. I trust we're going to see each other again soon.”

And those were the last words Jeno heard from her that evening as she dragged out a whining, begging Hyunsik who couldn't even hope to fight against her grip.

Jeno blinked a few times, still not quite comprehending what had just happened even as Jaemin stepped just a little away from him and the crowd gradually picked up their conversations again. It wasn't every day that you got dragged into the plans of a person you knew for an hour tops and enjoyed it as much as Jeno did.

There was no time to fully digest everything before three figures walked up to them, two of which Jeno recognized as his friends. It was only then that he noticed he was still holding Jaemin by his side, letting go of the other like he'd burned himself. There was no reason to hold him like that anymore, why had he still been doing it?

“Jeno,” Yangyang grinned, slapping Jeno's shoulder, “I didn't know you were getting it on.”

Jeno sputtered, completely flushing as Jaemin broke into laughter next to him. He quickly shut up though, as the taller man next to Yangyang and Renjun glared at him, asking, “Na Jaemin, care to explain what the fuck just happened?”

Jaemin made a face like he'd just bitten into a lemon, being saved from answering only by Renjun saying something before he could even open his mouth.

“Hey, you're Na Jaemin?” he asked with raised eyebrows, “The infamous cousin of my beloved Park Jisung?”

“I thought _I_ was your beloved!” Yangyang exclaimed, apparently not as sober as he'd seemed before. Renjun's gaze immediately turned soft as he looked at his boyfriend, a hand finding its way to the younger's cheek.

“Of course you are, baby. But you know how cute Jisungie is. Even cuter than Chenle.”

Jeno snorted because Renjun barely ever admitted to anyone being cute, let alone his brother and yet here he was, declaring both Chenle and his best friend cute.

Jaemin however, still couldn't answer as he was grabbed by the tall man, not forcefully, just decidedly, and dragged away in the opposite direction Kwan had gone.

“Wait, Jungwoo hyung, I still have to-” he started but the man, Jungwoo Jeno presumed, shook his head and cut him off with, “I don't care, Jaemin. You explain this shit to me now or, as much as I love you, you're never getting invited to one of my parties again.”

And thus, they disappeared into the crowd, Jeno gazing after them, Jaemin's touch and scent still embedded into his brain. He was so fucked.

* * *

_Pining is bullshit and so is dishonesty_ was Donghyuck's life motto and because it was Donghyuck's life motto, he wouldn't have it any other way than to have his friends live by it too. Jeno for one didn't mind that much considering that it was actually pretty solid but he still decided to wait things out a bit in terms of confessing his attraction and feelings. Not because he was afraid to confess to Jaemin but because there was a chance that the feelings he had would be fleeting. Not only that, Jaemin had just come out of a relationship. Sure, it was shitty in some way or another but a relationship was a relationship and it wasn't to be taken lightly.

Jeno's friends obviously didn't have any of it, constantly bugging him to just tell Jaemin and fuck what anyone else thought.

He was currently in a situation such as that, though he used the well known excuse of Jaemin possibly not reciprocating and considering the short time they'd been friends, their current relationship probably wouldn't last much longer if that was the case.

Donghyuck stared at Jeno like he was crazy, disregarding his ice in favour of pointing the spoon at Jeno, glaring.

“Jeno, baby, are you fucking serious?”

Jeno scowled and slurped his slushie, lips forming into a pout as he mumbled, “Stop calling me baby, one day Mark hyung is going to murder me or something.”

Donghyuck completely ignored Jeno and continued like he'd never said anything, “Jaemin is so obviously into you too. He didn't have to press you against a wall and pretend to make out with you on the first night you met and he still did.” 

Jeno groaned, leaning back in his seat. What Donghyuck had said was true but that didn't mean Jeno had to accept it so he weakly shot back, “That was because-”

“Sadly,” Renjun interrupted him, making Jeno pout even more, “I have to agree with Hyuckie here, Jeno. Kwan-noona already believed him and everything. There was no need to do any of that anymore but Jaemin still went all out.” 

“But-”

“But what, Jeno? He's into you and that's that. I understand your initial waiting but it's been two months and your feelings didn't lessen so just fucking talk to him,” Yangyang ganged up against Jeno with the other two. It seemed like no one was on his side but it wasn't like Jeno had any solid arguments anyways. He was just pushing it back at this point, hoping he wouldn't have to be the one to take the first step.

Initially, he'd really wanted to tell Jaemin as soon as possible but as time went by, he'd lost more and more of his confidence. Kwan had talked to him about it as well, Jaemin, Jeno and her getting along just dandy after their little bonding experience at the party.

She had prodded a little at Jeno for keeping to himself still but had otherwise left him alone, unlike his same age friends right now.

Renjun sighed, setting down his cutlery and pushing his plate with a half finished waffle away. He leaned forward, looking Jeno right into the eyes as he declared, “Look, Jisung said Jaemin's a big flirt. Did he flirt with you?”

Jeno titled his head and pursed his lips, thinking back on Jaemin's actions and words but nothing he would classify as flirting came to mind.

“No, I don't think so,” he answered, causing Renjun to groan and bury his face in his hands. Before Jeno could ask what he'd said that was so wrong though, Donghyuck slammed his spoon down on the table, staring right at him.

“Jeno... He literally got you to fucking bump your noses together _on the night you first met_ and he kisses you on the cheek when he says hello and goodbye and you're telling me he's _not fucking flirting with you_?”

Truthfully, Jeno had nothing to say against that because, even though he wouldn't exactly consider it flirting to do so, it wasn't exactly normal either. Even Donghyuck, who was the most affectionate out of their group, didn't do anything like that even if they held hands sometimes. To Jeno though, holding hands when everyone was consenting and your relationship was strictly platonic and one party was even in a relationship, didn't count as flirting.

For a second, Jeno considered searching up whether or not holding hands equaled flirting just to shove it in his friends' faces but ultimately decided against it. They wouldn't let it go and, really, Jeno didn't have a solid reason not to tell Jaemin at this point. If Jaemin didn't reciprocate, then at least Jeno would know about it and if he did it would be even better because that could potentially end in the two of them dating.

Jeno sighed, massaging his temples. He'd never been in such a conundrum considering confessing before. Staying true to Donghyuck's motto, Jeno had always acted on his feelings as soon as he realized them and that had scored him three amazing lovers so why couldn't he do the same with Jaemin?

“Hey guys, what's up?”

Jeno looked up from where he had gotten lost in thought. Shotaro was standing behind Donghyuck, his hands on the elder's shoulders, a smile on his face.

Before Jeno could answer, Yangyang groaned, “Don't ask, we're all despairing.”

“Seriously,” Renjun supported his boyfriend, placing his hand over Yangyang's. Jeno wasn't envious, he wasn't. “Can you please _please_ tell Jeno to fucking confess to Jaemin already. He knows you're the one with the most common sense and he can't resist your cuteness.”

Shotaro hummed, eyes curving as his smile got even bigger. Knowing Renjun's words to be true, Jeno sighed, preparing himself to be overcome with the guilt of not doing what Shotaro thought to be best. He might've been the youngest out of their whole bunch but sometimes, honestly maybe even most of the time, he had the most sane thoughts and made the best decisions. Even Mark, who had been their common sense until now, yielded to Shotaro who didn't get swayed by the dumbass shit their group proposed on the daily.

However, Shotaro didn't tell him to 'just confess', instead, “If you don't wanna do it, don't.”

Donghyuck gaped, as did Renjun and Yangyang, though less dramatic than the tan man. Shotaro didn't get offtrack though, continuing, “I know Hyuckie is pushy and, I mean, I don't exactly _disagree_ with the others, but if you're not comfortable telling Jaemin how you feel then don't. You don't always have to do what you feel you should do when there's no reason to do it in a second. Take your time if you want to, don't if you don't. Seriously, just do what you feel is right in this situation. You don't have to risk your relationship with Jaemin just because these asshats are telling you he likes you back based on the observations they've made from a perspective that isn't yours.”

It was silent at their table for a second.

“Damn, now I feel bad,” Yangyang whispered to Renjun, eyes still on Shotaro who was smiling like he didn't just turn everyone's world upside down. Donghyuck however, turned around to look up at Shotaro, scowling.

“How come you're more eloquent than me in Korean when you're giving life lessons but otherwise, a third of the time you're speaking Japanese, making me feel dumb.”

“Aw, you're not dumb,” Shotaro cooed. Donghyuck pouted, crossing his arms, turning around again to say something to Renjun instead.

Meanwhile, Jeno was zoning out. What Shotaro had said had struck a chord in him. He was right, Jeno didn't have to tell Jaemin if he didn't want to but the thing was he _did_. He did want to tell him and until now he had kind of pushed it away just because he liked defying his friends on logical things.

Jaemin, as far as Jeno was concerned, wasn't someone to just drop him if Jeno's fears of him not reciprocating actually came true. Now, there was a weird discrepancy between what Jeno had insisted on just a few minutes earlier and the urge he felt now to jump up, run to Jaemin, get it out of the way.

Jeno groaned, pressing the balls of his hands to his eyes, stars exploding in the dark. 

“I fucking hate this.”

* * *

“I got this. Yup, I _totally_ got this.”

Jeno took a deep breath, licking his lips, fixing his clothes.

He was sitting inside a small, pastel café, having secured himself a table for two by the glass front. The weather outside was beautiful, light, spotless blue skies with a sun that wasn't scorching but just warm enough to walk around without a jacket.

He had made the decision to just tell Jaemin after all since the only thing he had been doing had been delaying it. His feelings weren't getting any less and if he just confessed now, he could just get over it. 

And so, he'd asked Jaemin to meet him in a small café Jeno wouldn't normally visit at any other time. Just to be sure Jaemin wouldn't tease him five years later in the same spot, like, 'Hey, do you remember that time you confessed to me and I totally turned you down because you're neither my type nor interesting to date despite your looks'. Yeah, no thanks.

“What're you looking so serious for?”

Jeno startled as Jaemin popped up beside him, kissing Jeno's cheek in greeting before sliding into the chair in front of him with a grin. He was wearing an oversized hoodie and his hair was so effortlessly fluffy and pretty and _overwhelmingly distracting_. The blue was slowly fading, revealing black roots, which kind of made him look even hotter.

“Jeno?” Jaemin asked, startling Jeno yet again. He should really stop spacing out in front of other people.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry,” Jeno apologized, “Do you wanna order something or something, I don't-” Jeno groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What's happening to me?”

Jaemin snorted, eyes glinting as he looked at Jeno. Still, he agreed to order, waving the waitress over without looking at the menu beforehand, leading Jeno to ask him about it.

Apparently Jaemin frequented this café, causing Jeno to mentally slap himself. Leave it to him to pick just the wrong café after all.

The waitress came over, they ordered, Jeno just wanted to get away at this point.

“Hey,” Jaemin said, gently taking Jeno's hand, eyebrows furrowed in worry, “you seem so panicky. Is everything okay?”

Jeno nodded, replying, “Yeah, yeah, everything is just dandy. I'm just a bit stressed right now, you know? Normal stuff, yup.”

Jaemin sighed, thumb rubbing over Jeno's hand. Actions like these, paired with, just, Jaemin being Jaemin, were what made Jeno's heart beat faster. Soft and gentle moments that were seemingly always present with Jaemin around.

“You know you can talk to me about whatever is weighing on your mind, right? What kind of friend would I be if you couldn't,” Jaemin spoke, way too serious, reminding Jeno of the night they met. Jeno knew of course. He knew he could rely on Jaemin but in this regard, since it _was_ about Jaemin, it made Jeno even more nervous to know of the support.

Jeno nodded, taking a deep breath, gathering all of his mental strength to confess, “I know. So, here's the thing-”

“Here's your order,” the waitress interrupted Jeno at the most crucial moment, his mouth snapping shut. Jaemin's eyes redirected from Jeno to the waitress, a surprisingly pinched smile appearing on his face as he helped the waitress place their cakes and coffees on the table before thanking her in an even more pinched tone.

The silence that followed reminded Jeno of the gathering a few days back when Shotaro had convinced him to finally fucking do it. On one hand, Jeno didn't dare to pick up the conversation again, on the other, it seemed like Jaemin wanted him to do so, waiting for him to start talking again.

His gaze was warm and his smile understanding as Jaemin continued looking at Jeno without even sparing a glance at his cake or coffee. He gave Jeno time to recollect himself, to continue when he wanted to, not when he was asked to.

There was even an offer of holding his hand again but Jeno declined, feeling like that would only make his resolve crumble even more. If Jaemin was really going to reject him, Jeno would rather not loose the warmth of his hand on a pretty day like this.

Confessing had never been this hard to Jeno before and he wondered whether this was because he hadn't had to for a few years now or simply because of Jaemin, since, somehow, Jaemin seemed to have a different affect on Jeno than all of his other crushes.

Sure, there'd been Bohee who Jeno had been mesmerized by but even with her, he'd only needed a week after realising his feelings to tell her. Jaemin was special in the sense that Jeno had only needed a few minutes to be completely intrigued by him and it just hadn't stopped. Jeno hadn't been as afraid of risking his friendship with the others because he knew he'd be able to keep being friends with them even if he got rejected, not that that had ever been the case.

“If you're not comfortable talking about it anymore, you don't have too,” Jaemin finally said, smile still firmly in place. Jeno pressed his lips together. He didn't want to delay this any further. Not after he'd finally dragged himself out of his comfort zone to get it over and done with. If he didn't say it now, he'd probably never come around again and would whither away because of his own decisions.

So he shook his head, nervously tapping his fingers on the table. There was nothing to fear, he convinced himself before finally gathering his courage again to softly utter, “Okay, here's what... I've been thinking about for a while. I kinda-” Jeno cleared his throat, only glancing at Jaemin but not keeping his gaze steady. “I maybe, kinda, had a crush on you ever since the night we first met. I really like you. I'm not saying you have to reciprocate or something!” 

Jeno raised his hands, this time looking right ahead, watching Jaemin's reaction to his words. The other didn't seem particularly bothered but at the same time, not too thrilled either. His face was carefully blank and Jeno couldn't bear with it so he just continued speaking.

“I mean, we can still be friends if you don't feel the same, I just thought it would be better to tell you now than, you know, wallow in silence or something. There's no need to answer me right now either. So if you want to, if you're uncomfortable or something, I can leave. I'd still pay of course-”

“Jeno,” Jaemin interrupted him, blinking slowly, the ends of his mouth tilting up as his hand found Jeno's over the table. “Stop getting lost in rambles and telling me you could just go if I'm uncomfortable. You know, maybe you should listen to me first before making decisions for yourself.”

Jeno blushed, lowering his head. It didn't sound like a rejection and the way Jaemin squeezed his hand gave him hopes he hadn't dared to have before.

“Look at me,” Jaemin mumbled and Jeno slowly raised his head again, heart running a marathon, beating way too fast at the look Jaemin was giving him.

“You know, Jeno, just like you, I was intrigued on our very first night.” Jeno's heart stopped in his chest. “I don't know what it was exactly that made me feel the way I do about you but the more we hung out, the more I wanted to be with you. Usually, I'm much more confident pursuing my interests but when it comes down to it, I'm just as cowardly as almost anybody else. You don't know how happy I am to know that you like me back.”

The smile Jaemin presented Jeno was nothing if not blinding, as Jaemin proclaimed, “I like you too, Jeno.”

* * *

“See, I fucking told you to just go for it. He looked so love stricken whenever he just heard your goddamn name.”

When Jaemin had suggested for everyone, everyone including both Jeno and Jaemin's circle of close friends, to meet up one Friday night to just hang out and have a sleepover, Jeno hadn't thought he'd hear the same thing from Jungwoo as he'd heard from Donghyuck.

Apparently, Jaemin had faced the same kinds of interventions as Jeno had, his friends urging him to confess, telling him how Jeno definitely reciprocated and he didn't have anything to fear. Lucas was talking with big gestures as he described, and probably dramatised, the way Jaemin had denied anything, causing Mark to collapse laughing, pulling Donghyuck with him from the couch to the ground.

Donghyuck grumbled but couldn't contain a smile as he looked at his boyfriend.

Jeno and Jaemin themselves were lounging in Jungwoo's massive armchair, Jaemin in Jeno's lap as they watched the chaos enfold. Lucas was still telling the story, Jungwoo pitching in here and there just to be interrupted by Renjun and Yangyang who were telling their own anecdotes about Jeno's dilemmas. Shotaro was the only one who kept quiet, though he was smiling, sipping his drink.

“Why did we ever let these chaotic dumbasses meet,” Jeno mumbled which caused Jaemin to chuckle and turn his head to peck Jeno on the lips.

“Don't pretend like they didn't already know each other before this,” he warned jokingly, a glint in his eyes that Jeno liked so much. “If Kwan noona was here, she'd probably tell even crazier stories.”

Sadly, Jeno had to agree. Kwan was a very reliable and calm person so it had been easy to confide in her, especially since she knew even more details about their situation. She hadn't been able to come but she'd promised to catch up on the fun at a later date.

Jeno wound his arms around Jaemin's waist, leaning his head against him, enjoying the warmth the younger was emitting. Jaemin lifted a hand to pat Jeno's head, humming under his breath.

Their peaceful moment was destroyed by Donghyuck pointing a finger at them and exclaiming, “Hey, don't you think you're getting too cozy over there?!”

Jeno scowled, taking in how Mark and Donghyuck were cuddling at one end of the couch, Donghyuck's legs thrown over Mark's lap, one arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. 

Before he could say anything though Renjun slapped Donghyuck, grumbling, “You guys aren't any better. At least _they_ have the excuse of the honeymoon phase.”

Above Jeno, Jaemin giggled, the hand on Jeno's head, slipping to the back on it, Jaemin tilting his head back again to kiss Jeno. 

“I bet you're glad you went to Jungwoo hyung's party now,” he mumbled against Jeno's lips, fingers scratching his scalp as Jeno hummed. He definitely didn't regret going but he had a feeling, someway or another, he would have met Jaemin anyways.

Their friends made fake gagging noises as Jaemin turned in Jeno's lap to kiss him properly but Jeno could care less, pulling Jaemin closer, smiling up at him when he leaned back.

“I'm just glad I met you,” he said honestly before leaning up to kiss Jaemin again.

“This is disgusting, why did we tell them to confess?”

“Shut up, Donghyuck, you were way worse with Mark hyung in the beginning.”

“Yeah, at least they're not shoving their tongues down each other's throats like you guys do all the time.”

“Someone cover Shotaro's ears. He's too innocent to hear this.”

As their friends squabbled in the background, Jeno and Jaemin looked at each other, smiling, hands carding through hair, glad Jeno went after Jaemin on that first night three months ago.


End file.
